Before rig explosion, BP pumped chemical mixture into well, contractor says

By David S. Hilzenrath
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, July 20, 2010; 9:47 AM

KENNER, LA. -- In the hours before the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig exploded, BP pumped into the well an extraordinarily large quantity of an unusual chemical mixture, a contractor on the rig testified Monday.

The injection of the dense, gray fluid was meant to flush drilling mud from the hole, according to the testimony before a government panel investigating the April 20 accident. But the more than 400 barrels used were roughly double the usual quantity, said Leo Lindner, a drilling fluid specialist for contractor MI-Swaco.

BP had hundreds of barrels of the two chemicals on hand and needed to dispose of the material, Lindner testified. By first flushing it into the well, the company could take advantage of an exemption in an environmental law that otherwise would have prohibited it from discharging the hazardous waste into the Gulf of Mexico, Lindner said.

The procedure mixed two substances. "It's not something we've ever done before," Lindner said.

A BP specialist said using the two substances together would be okay. Nonetheless, the night before the rig exploded, Lindner was busy conducting an improvised chemistry experiment to double-check. He mixed a gallon of one of the substances with a gallon of the other and observed their reaction.

When the well became a gusher on April 20, a fluid that fit the general description of the mixture rained down on the rig.

Stephen Bertone, chief engineer on the rig, said in testimony earlier in the day that part of the rig was covered in an inch or more of material that he said resembled "snot."

Ronnie Penton, an attorney for one of the rig workers, said in an interview after the hearing that the double-sized dose of spacer fluid, also known as a "pill," skewed a crucial test of pressure in the well just hours before the blowout. Based on the test, BP concluded it was safe to continue displacing the heavy mud from the well in favor of much lighter sea water.

"That large pill skewed the testing," Penton said.

The alleged departure from standard practice came despite a series of complications in the attempt to complete work on the well.

Staff writer Joel Achenbach contributed to this report.

Views: 72

Replies to This Discussion

This just in...........

It's just been reported that BP posted a fake, Photoshopped picture of their crisis response center on their website.1

This is hugely troubling. If BP doctored a picture on their website, what else are they lying about? And why did they fake this picture in the first place? What are they hiding?

This also fits a pattern of stonewalling and misinformation by BP throughout this crisis. The public needs to know what's really going on—and a scandal like this can really increase the pressure for more transparency.

That's why we're calling on Congress to open an investigation into BP's faked photo and any other information they may have hidden or doctored. Click the link below to add your name to the petition:

http://pol.moveon.org/bpfakephotos/o.pl?id=21923-17908768-mkQPOgx&a...

The petition says, "Congress: We need an investigation to find out why BP posted fake photos of their crisis response center—and what else they're hiding."

RSS

"Destroying the New World Order"

TOP CONTENT THIS WEEK

THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING THE SITE!

mobile page

12160.info/m

12160 Administrators

 

Latest Activity

cheeki kea commented on Burbia's video
Thumbnail

Soros Will Never Recover..Elon AIR The whole Thing

"Good find Burbia. It can only get worse. Is Soros too big to fail for he has his thumb in every pie…"
8 hours ago
Doc Vega posted blog posts
8 hours ago
Doc Vega commented on Doc Vega's blog post What's Meant to Be?
"tjdavis Thanks for your support Dude! "
12 hours ago
tjdavis posted photos
23 hours ago
tjdavis favorited Doc Vega's blog post What's Meant to Be?
yesterday
tjdavis posted a video

PORCUPINE TREE - BUYING NEW SOUL (HD)

Filmed at the Park West, Chicago, USA, 11-12 Oktober 2005
yesterday
Burbia commented on Burbia's video
Thumbnail

Meet GibberLink, Conversational AI's secret language

"One agent's audio range has a lower frequency than the other. Another example of different…"
yesterday
Burbia posted a video

Meet GibberLink, Conversational AI's secret language

Join Boris Starkov and Anton Pidkuiko, the developers behind GibberLink, for a fireside chat with Luke Harries from ElevenLabs.On February 24, Georgi Gergano...
yesterday
Doc Vega posted blog posts
Saturday
Doc Vega posted a blog post

Interpersonal Insanity

Interpersonal Insanity How do you expect me to read your mind?All those hidden things that I might…See More
Friday
cheeki kea replied to cheeki kea's discussion Tartaria
"Look at what we have to put up with. Leftist journalism in full swing. Everyone knows who created…"
Friday
Doc Vega posted a blog post

Why Did We Americans Become so Cynical? At Least Those Who Think

 Cynicism is a form of counter intelligence. It materializes when the general public has been…See More
Wednesday
tjdavis posted a video
Wednesday
Doc Vega posted blog posts
Apr 15
cheeki kea commented on Snakedaddy's album
Thumbnail

a soon shit

"lol at first I thought this was an acronym or phase meaning an urgent trip to the lavatory but alas…"
Apr 15
tjdavis posted a video

Europe will be an Islamic Muslim State

සිංහලෙන් කියවන්න http://sinhalabuddhist.comSlavery, Terrorism and Islam: The Historical Roots and Contemporary Threat.. Adapted from Dr. Peter Hammond's book...
Apr 14
Sandy posted a video

A conversation with Charlotte Iserbyt

“The Deliberate Dumbing Down of America — A Chronological Paper Trail”, will change forever the way you look at your child’s education. Written by whistleblo...
Apr 14
Doc Vega posted a blog post

Realizations

Used to think I had something special to bringThat I was seeing what others weren't seeingThe…See More
Apr 13
Burbia replied to cheeki kea's discussion Tartaria
"I forget some written language reads from right to left. The various calendars used up to now from…"
Apr 13
Less Prone favorited Burbia's blog post Mystery illness strikes Russia with fever, blood symptoms, and no cure in sight.
Apr 13

© 2025   Created by truth.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service

content and site copyright 12160.info 2007-2019 - all rights reserved. unless otherwise noted